His Persephone
by MitternachtXEngel
Summary: As the world shifts beneath her feet, and the earth itself opens, Sarah stands prepared to welcome the chaos. This continuation of the classic brings to life an ageless story that sounds unsettlingly familiar to our heroine. Interpret it as you please.
1. A Maiden Picks Flowers

Hello beloved readers! This is my first story on Fanficton so I'm really hoping for a good response. I'm willing to take any and all suggestions. This piece is going to be mostly suspense from Sarah's POV, so I'm incorporating a lot of humor and sarcasm to fit her voice. The more feedback I get, the more I will add so don't be shy!

~Yours,

MitternachtxEngel

Chapter One: A Maiden Picks Flowers

The first thing that hit me was the smell. The smell of earth and stone, ancient and strong. The smell of the Labyrinth did stay, for a time, with anyone who had been there. Thus, what really confirmed the identity behind that smell was the sweet, underlying sent of peaches. Misplaced, rebellious, and completely intoxicating. I fought the urge to open a window.

"_Good morning class_." That smooth, melt in your mouth accent entered the room as he did, and it sent unwelcome chills down my spine. His hair was shorter, barely brushing his shoulders, still ash blonde and layered to sharp, pointed tips. The cracks at the corners of his mismatched eyes and mouth suggested he was in his thirties. His leather jacket a mockery of the ones he sported in the Labyrinth, with thin lapels, a short, popped collar, and a hem that cut off at the top of his all revealing jeans rather than his natural waist. His pendant dangled in front of a white, V-neck T-shirt that hardly mimicked the romance of his usual poet shirts, and his heavy boots barely graced his toned calves. Everything about him was a watered down version of his true majesty, designed to fit the bland standards of modern day society.

"My name is Jared King." In a script far more elegant and practiced than any teacher could ever dream to accomplish, Jareth scrolled the alias on the black board.

"You will address me as King." Jareth swept gracefully into his throne of a swivel chair and propped his boots on the desk, long legs crossed over each other, gloved hands folded on his lap in a perfect image of repressed power.

"Welcome to Mythology." A truly enchanting smile that screamed 'I eat children like you for breakfast' spread across his angled face and every soul in the room instantly froze, as if you dared to move he would undoubtedly spot his next target. Despite my own looming-and far more justified-fear, I was forced to swallow a chuckle. The effect he had was entirely beautiful. A king that could silence a kingdom with a mere flash of teeth, and he was posing as a 12th grade Mythology teacher.


	2. A Maiden Picks Flowers Con

Chapter One: A Maiden Picks Flowers

Continued

The morning that I discovered the feared king of the goblins had infiltrated my high school, I had eaten toast. My diligent step mother was slowly slicing fruit and preparing cinnamon rolls when I dragged myself downstairs. She had on a pastel pink apron, and her hair was curled to a blonde pile sitting on top of her head. I noticed she was wearing her pearls at 7 o'clock in the morning whilst cooking breakfast, as always, and I knew that I could never truly bond with this woman. Never the less, I plasterer a toothy grin on my face and reluctantly approached her.

"Good morning Sarah." The teeth she flashes at me are bleached white, and for a second I thought they might blind me.

"Good morning." I didn't give the food she was preparing a second glance and slipped a slice of bread into my oh-so- beloved toaster. Sometimes I wonder if I truly do long for a motherly figure and regret the years I've spent resenting my father's wife.

"You know you would be so pretty if you finally gave makeup a try Sarah." Nope. A sigh slipped past my lips as continued to swipe apple butter across the golden brown slice in my hand. When I wore makeup it was to paint a completely new identity onto the canvas of my face, to embody the characters of the stories that never cease to flow through my mind, whispering tales of fantasy and adventure into my ear.

"Well, goodbye." That familiar look of disappointment veiled the woman's delicate features, and I still walked past her, fingering the tiny owl pendant I wore around my neck to distract myself. The moment I opened the front door, a cool wind picked up and wrapped its arms around me, tugging my long dark hair and attempting to rip the scarf from my neck. I gasped, clinging to my books even tighter.

"Sarah? Are you alright in there?" My stepmother called from fort she called her kitchen.

"I'm fine." But I wasn't. Goosebumps swarmed my body and the hairs on my arms and neck stood upright. That wind wasn't just unnatural, it had a life and a magic of its own. My breathing was coming out in short bursts of air, beads of sweat dotted my forehead, and I was digging my nails into my palms hard enough to draw blood. I have felt magic before, like a cold breath that ruffled my hair and brushed against my skin, gentle and playful. The magic that swirled around me in the Labyrinth. This was not that. This wasn't the aura of a realm, but the energy that radiates off of a being. This was a warning.


	3. The Earth Begins to Tremble

Hello again loves! As promised, it is Monday and I have a brand new, long chapter for you. Fair warning, there may be a few details in here that you disapprove of, and I am sorry. I would love to hear your opinions and, of course, I will take them into account. Thank you so much for the reviews so far and I can't wait to get your feedback on this chapter! So, without further adieu…

Chapter Two:

The Earth Begins to Tremble

Driving to the school was difficult. Every bird in the sky began to look like barn owls, and the cracks of lightning in the distance made me jump. I parked my green jeep sport and quietly walked to the front doors, eyes darting left to right for any sign of goblins hiding in bushes or darting under cars. When I reached the doors, my boyfriend was waiting for me, a mocha frappuccino in one hand and a coffee in the other. I took the coffee and smiled.

"Hey Eric." I lovingly sipped the warm liquid and relaxed a bit as the heat soothed my muscles.

"Hey babe. You're late." He smiled back and wrapped an arm around my waist. We began to walk toward our first hour and I rubbed the nape of my neck, the routine of it all making me feel secure again.

"The drive took longer than usual." We walked into college biology silently, and I spent the hour absentmindedly doodling, and when the bell brought me back to earth, I crumpled up the paper covered in crystals, owls and goblins in a fist, tossing it in the waste bin without a second thought. The rest of the day was beautifully normal. It was the first day of my second semester, and my fourth hour-mythology- was the only new class I was starting. I walked into the room and took the far seat by the window, noticing the lack of any décor in the room instantly. No motivational posters hung on the blindingly white walls or textbooks on the shelves, not even a name plate to give a hint of character to the utterly plain desk. Then he was there, and the room faded. He was the only thing I could see. His voice covering the sound of shuffling feet and the wind crashing into the glass of the window, his intoxicating sent masking the smell of adolescent body odor and cleaning chemicals. Nothing but Jareth.

"Sarah Williams." He said my name like it was secret, private, cherished. Words only mumbled under sheets behind closed doors.

"Sarah." I got chills. He'd said it again? Why did he say it again?

"Say here dumbass before you make him angry." The girl behind me shook my shoulder roughly.

"Here?" He was calling roll? The king of the goblins was calling attendance for a high school class?

"Alright then." Jareth set down his clipboard and stood, pulling a cigarette out of his jacket and placing it between his lips. He pulled a cart out of the supply closet and plugged the T.V. mounted on it into the wall, then slipped a video into the VCR and hit play. Sound flowed form the device, but it went in one ear and out through the other. I was carefully studying the way Jareth moved, with careful poise and a kind of regal grace. Even when he stood on his swivel chair to reach the smoke detector above the black board, he moved with a commanding presence. When his long finger tapped the device, the red small red light went off. When he turned again, the fag dangling between his lips was lit and glowing ember. No one dared to question it. He leaned against a wall, taking long loving drags and letting the toxic air swirl around his lungs for a few seconds before letting the grey cloud seep through his barely parted lips. I was completely memorized by the act, and was surprised when he turned, catching me staring openly at him.

Our eyes locked for a moment, mismatched blue meeting jade green. I pulled my gaze away and focused out the window, still feeling his eyes like an unpleasant pressure coming down on me. How long could I take this before I broke under the weight of that stare? I desperately looked toward the clock above the door, and I swear I counted thirteen numerals instead of twelve, but when I blinked the clock was again normal. It sent me over the edge and I dropped my head to my desk in exhaustion. When the bell mercifully rang, I practically sprinted for the door, mentally kicking myself for selecting the seat farthest from it.

"I expect you all to turn in an essay on the lineage of the Olympian Gods next class." Instead of the groans of disapproval and disappointment, my classmates remained silent, all of them pushing toward the door.

"Sarah." I ignored that liquid silk voice and ran faster. Just as the boy in front of me ducked out of the room, the heavy door slammed in my face, and we were instantly alone together. My heart dropped into my stomach as I felt my escape slipping away. With no other option, I defiantly raised my chin and turned on my heel to face my villain. What I saw made my breath catch in my throat. He was only feet from me now and stalking closer, one arm regally folder behind his back and one hand juggling a crystal.

"How…" My voice broke and I started over, pressing my back against the door to gain distance between us. Distance is good. "How did you get here?" He raised an eyebrow curiously. "I thought you could only be…yourself…here when someone summons you, otherwise you're an owl." I shot his majesty a glare. "I most certainly did not summon you."

"You are clever Sarah." He dragged his words out mockingly, twirling the crystal at his fingertips casually. "Your baby brother wished me here." Toby? Toby was only just five years old now, only a year old when Jareth took him.

"How could he possibly rememb…"Jareth pressed a gloved finger onto my parted lips, silencing me. I could smell the fresh leather.

"I simply led him to your story." I had hidden Labyrinth under a lose floorboard years ago, but it was a book I couldn't part with. "It was just a matter of time, and a matter of rebuilding the mess you made of my kingdom." He placed a fist on the wall beside me, leaning in close enough that my hair ruffled slightly with his every gentle breath. Being so close made my heart pick up pace and my chest grow tight. Was this fear?

"So you're here for revenge?" My voice was quivering without against my will.

"Oh no Sarah." Jareth suddenly closed the space between us, pressing his lips against the thin veil of hair covering my ear. "Something much sweeter." My eyes widened and I raised a hand to push him away when the door against my back flew open and I practically fell into Eric's arms.

"Hey I need you to jump start m…" He abruptly paused, seeming to notice the situation he had waltzed into. "Did I interrupt something?"

"Not at all." Jareth bared his teeth at Erick, eyes drifting to his hand at my waist for a split second. "Remember your essay Sarah." His odd eyes brightened when they met mine again, victory shining brightly behind them. Erik pulled me away from the room, nearly holding me up as we walked out of the building. The hall was spinning and the ground was trembling, like any moment my fragile world would shatter around me and the shards would cut me to pieces. He was toying with me. We were about to play a new game, one that I hadn't signed up for. I smiled. This time, it was on my turf.


	4. The Ground Cracks

**Hello again! I am so sorry for the wait but I desperately needed to be more meticulous with this chapter. I hope it was worth the wait! **

**P.S. I was, A. Wondering if you guys wanted me to add a soundtrack to the end of each chapter now that they are beginning to get longer and more exciting, and, B. Wanting to know if anyone would be interesting in being an editor for the story from now on since I will be writing much longer chapters as fast as I can and I want the quality of writing to remain unaffected by that. Leave your opinions in the reviews or send me a pm because I am very excited to know what you think!**

Chapter Three:

The Ground Cracks

"Toby?" I ran through the house, searching for my five year old brother.

"Toby?!" My heart turned icy as my calls went unanswered. Would Jareth take him

again? I ran into my room in a last desperate attempt and was surprised to find the blonde boy sitting on the floor with a tiny red book in his plump little hands.

"Toby put that down!" I went to reach for the book when Toby jumped up and scuttled under my bed.

"No!" He wailed, clutching the book to his chest, big blue eyes glaring from the shadows.

"Give it back Toby. You're too young for that book." The fact that my brother could read decently at this young was impressive to most people and more than likely due to the fact that I would read stories to Toby every time I had the chance to. Still, Labyrinth was above his skill level, and it was dangerous.

"I want to read it Shara!" He had the charming lisp of a five year old and said my name with a prominent SH at the beginning. Still, I couldn't put him in danger ever again, and I was forced to be cruel. I ripped the book from his little hands and he whimpered. I sighed and scooped the child into my arms.

"Maybe someday. But for now, how about some hot chocolate?"

I was running from something. But what? Something pecked at my neck and I felt feathers brush against my face, wings beating against me. I had to get away from it. All I could see was the road ahead of me, darkness draping over everything else. My world consisted of only two directions, forward and backward. I listened as my bare feet hit the asphalt, the rhythm of my steps keeping with the beat of my racing heart. The moon was my only light source, and it cast an eerie glow over me. The owl was feet behind me now.

"Hey lady, the games not over!" I looked up to see a fiery perched in a solitary tree along the road, its lips pulled back dramatically, exposing a full mouth of sharp teeth. Not over? But I had won!

"The way forward is sometimes the way back." The old man's voice surrounded me, sounding much more menacing than I remember.

"I am not going back!" I meant to shout it but my voice was lost to the howling wind. No. I would not go back. I spun on my heel and blindly sprinted in the other direction, slamming straight into something solid, something that smelt of leather and peaches.

"Just fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave." Jareth's eyes were no longer blue, but a glowing red, blonde hair dancing around his face in the wind, framing an impedingly grim expression.

"No!" The word stuck in my throat, refusing to come out. I tried to move but my feet were rooted to the ground. I couldn't run, I couldn't scream. I couldn't run from him anymore. Jareth grinned down at me, white teeth glittering in the moon light. A peach appeared in his hand as he held it out to me. I tried to slap the forbidden fruit away but my arms were locked against my sides. Jareth's smile grew ominously wide and he seized my forearm with his free hand, pulling me closer to him. The ground beneath me began to tremble and break, flames licking out from the cracks. I opened my mouth to scream again but it was useless. The fire sent pain up my legs and I felt tears roll down my cheek. Jareth lifted me in his arms as the earth shattered and we descended into the underground.

I woke with a start, my forehead and palms damp with sweat. I took deep, shaky breaths to calm my highly charged nerves. I realized I had fallen asleep at my desk attempting to finish my paper. I smiled and touched a trembling hand to my cheek, feeling the imprint of a keyboard. It was all a dream. I relaxed a bit and leaned back in my chair. When I looked toward the window I noticed something pinkish orange out of the corner of my eye and froze. A peach was sitting next to my laptop, a single bite mark facing me. I jumped out of my chair, stumbling to my open window for fresh air. Open? Since when did I leave my window open? It was then that I realized the wind that I had felt the day before was the same wind that engulfed me when the goblin king flew into my window in a shower of glitter four years ago. I should have just stayed home.

Sitting in his class again was a living hell. Feeling the electricity that fills the air around us, knowing his eyes are locked on me, hearing that rich accent utter my name at the beginning of each class: It all makes my stomach churn. I knew that he was toying with me. I was used to the occasional owl feather stuffed between the pages of my school books and the constant feeling of being watched, but sneaking into my room in the middle of the night and meddling with my dreams was taking our game way too far. The thought of the goblin king standing amongst my shelves of fantasy books, stacks of eighties movies and mountains of stuffed animals, watching me sleep, made me grind my teeth in anger and, admittedly, color rise to my cheeks.

"I assume you all have an essay for me." Jareth stood and walked to the front of his desk, "Take them out now."

I pulled the paper I had thrown together out of my bag and let out an exasperated sigh. The king advanced on his students, looking pleased when they pulled away and cowered as he seized their work. I watched his petty amusement as he moved from desk to desk, stalking ever closer to my own. When he approached me I smirked, raising an eyebrow to let him know that his intimidation didn't faze me. Jareth smiled back at me, his eyes holding a playful fire. Instead of towering over me and ripping the paper from my hand, he stood next to my side, letting his eyes drift over me as if he could see every secret I ever held, as if I was transparent. Heat rose to my face and I glared, holding my paper out to encourage him to move on. He leaned forward slowly, placing one hand on my desktop and using the other to take my essay, but not before his gloved fingertips brushed against mine, sending electricity up my arm and to my chest. I pulled my hand away and he walked casually away, shoulders shaking ever so slightly with silent laughter. Bastard.

"Well now that I assume you all have memorized the heritage of the Olympian gods, I do believe that we should discuss the origins and lives of the original gods." Jareth pulled a long cigarette out of his jacket and slipped it in his lips. I had a feeling this was going to become a regular occurrence. "Who can tell me about the origin of the first Olympian gods?"

"Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon were fathered by the titan Kronos and when he realized that they were a threat he swallowed them whole, one by one." The brave boys smile faded as Jareth approached him.

"Fascinating. How did they escape?" Jareth looked slightly curious and thoroughly amused at the information. I couldn't tell if he really knew anything about Mythology or not.

"They grew up inside of Kronos then Zeus saved eventually saved them and enslaved the titans." The red headed girl next to the first boy to speak looked slightly worried but managed to answer the question smoothly.

"Ah the hero." Jareth lit his cigarette and smirked. "What of his brothers?"

"They drew for the right to control either the heavens the seas or the underworld. Zeus got the heavens, Poseidon got the seas, and Hades got the underworld." The red head jumped in again, gaining some confidence.

"Well that's just peachy." Jareth glanced at me with the word, laughter behind his mismatched eyes. "A king of gods, a king of the earth, and a king of the largest kingdom there is to reign. The kingdom of the dead."

"Actually the underworld was known to be a horrible place and so when Hades drew he drew the shortest stick. His very name was feared and he was pretty much an outcast to the gods." Jareth took a long drag and glanced over at the boy who spoke. Before he could reply a very brawny boy chuckled and announced,

"Whatever man, Hades was a beast!" The boy laughed and a few people joined in, nodding in agreement.

"Was he now?" Jareth leaned on his desk regally and continued sucking the toxic air into his lungs. "Why don't you tell us a little about him?"

"He was the oldest of the brothers." The red head jumped in again. "He had a guard dog named Cerberus, a three-headed dog that was known as ferocious. And his wife was named Persephone." My pen slipped through my finger tips and hit the floor with an earth shattering thud.

"Ah, Sarah, would you like to tell the tale of Persephone? I understand that you have quite a gift for storytelling." Jareth smirked down at me, watching the horror fill my eyes as I reeled in the realization of the in metaphor of my dream.

"Persephone was the daughter of Demeter. She spent most of her time in nature playing alone and never realizing she was being watched by the king of the underground." I gulped, feeling my palms grow sweaty. "I mean underworld. Eventually, when he had the approval of Zeus, Hades rode out of the underworld and stole Persephone to make her his wife and queen. Her mother was heartbroken and, being the goddess of agriculture, she ravaged the earth with an endless winter. Eventually she forced Hades to return her daughter, but not before he had the chance to trick Persephone and convince her to eat from a pomegranate of the underworld. The fates have it that anyone who eats food from the underworld must stay there. But because Zeus couldn't allow the winter to continue he ordered a deal to be struck and it was agreed that Persephone would spend half of the year aboveground and half of the year underground with Hades. When she was gone, Demeter would bring a frost over the Earth, thus the creation of the seasons."

"Very good Sarah." Jareth smiled wickedly. "Beautiful storytelling indeed."

The conversation continued but I took no part in it. Instead I sunk in my chair and tried to remember how to breathe. It was all a coincidence. Jareth was devious but he was above kidnapping surely. Or was he? When the bell rang I stood slowly, the numbness of fear still thick in my joints. Jareth sat draped over his chair, grading the essays in his hand with a simple letter in black ink on top of the page. Without speaking, he held a graded paper up to me between two fingers. I took it with a sigh and glanced down.

"F?" I rose an eyebrow, not entirely sure if I was surprised. Not because of the quality of my work but simply because of my rivals petty, childlike idea of revenge.

"You could do much better than that." I caught the double meaning in his words and rolled my eyes.

"Listen, I…" My voice cracked sheepishly and I tried again, "I don't know what your little story time metaphor today was about, but I'm taking it as a threat." I glared down at the Goblin King in determination. Instead of laughing or continuing his usual vague teasing, Jareth stood somberly, his presence suddenly ancient and foreboding.

"It was not a threat, precious Sarah." He raised a gloved hand and caressed my cheek lightly, leaning in to bring his lips against my ear, "It was a warning." With that he disappeared in a slight wind, leaving me trembling and alone.


End file.
